Eyeleting-machine



No. 615,018. Patented Nov. 29, I898.

P. R. GLASS.

/ EYELE'TINE MACHINE.

(Application filed Mar. 14, 1898.)

UNITED STATES P TENT QFFICE.

PERLEY R. GLASS, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ISAACE. RUMNEY, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

EYELETlNG-MACHINE. I

s'rnorrrca'rron forming par t of Letters Patent No. 615,018, dated November 29, 1898..

Application filed March 14, 1898.

Serial No.'673,'762. (No model.)

To all whom it 1nay concern: v

Be it known that I, PERLEY R. GLAss,'of Quincy, county of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Eyeleting-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with'the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

The present invention relates to a device for feeding eyelets, the object of the invention beingtoso arrange the eyelet-feeding'devices of an eyeleting-machine that the eyelets will be promptly discharged from the hopper in the proper position; without'clogging; the openings, whereby a machine operating at a high rate Of speed may be continuously sup plied as is necessary. I

contains a mass of eyelets, is provided with lateral openings near the bottom thereof, the said openings being substantially equal in Width to the diameter of the shank of the eyelet, and provided with lateral spaces belowthe same-of such width as to allow the flange of the eyelet to pass through, so\ that when an eyelet is in the proper position.-that is,

resting upon its flanged end.it can escape .from the hopper, but not otherwise.

To keep the mass agitated, brushes or stirring devices are employed, arranged to travel along the wall of the hopper adjacent to said openings, so as to brush aside eyelets which are not properly presented thereto and leave aspace for such eyelets as may present themselves in the proper position. With this construction, however, it is obviously necessary that the spaces should be very nearly equal in shape and size to the shape and size of an eyelet, it being obvious, therefore, that every eyelet has to be exactly in position before it can pass through and that the portions of the wall which separate the spaces should extend downward nearly to the floor of the hopper and be separated therefrom bya space not materially greater than the width of the flange. If the said portions between the spaces were removed from the floor of the hopper a distance substantially greater thanthe thickness of the flanges and an eyelet resting on its side were to be presented flanged end first, it would be liable to catch upon one of the points which separate the spaces and ride up upon the same, remaining there and clog-' ging the opening at each side. If, on the contrary, it is presented on its side, shank end first, the'said shank is free to pass through one of the openings until the flange lies flat against the inner wall, so that the brush or stirring device will pass by without engaging the same, and the eyelet will remain'in the opening and prevent any other eyelet from passing through. p

It isthe objectof the present invention to provide means whereby no eyelet can reach such a position as to clog the opening and to p 1 u arrest every eyelet which is not properlypre-t In the common form of eyelet-feedingfde vices heretofore employed the hopper, which sented in such a position that the next sweep of the brushes or stirring device will carry the same out of the way, it being practicable, in accordancewith the invention, to mate rially enlarge the openings, so that the eyelets can pass through freely and'rapidly when resting on their flanges,instead of being frequently swept away when nearly in the right position, as is the case with the feed as now commonly constructed.

In accordance with the invention it is essential only that the spaces be separated by points or projections, the distance between which is slightly less than the diameter of the flange portions of the eyelets, while the length thereof need be only sufficient to insure the engagement thereby of the flange port-ion of an eyelet which is on end and inyerted. This is accomplished by providing the inner wall of the hopper with-'an inwardly-projecting ridge or shoulder extending along over all the openings, the lower edge of said ridge being removed from the bottom of the hopper a distance which is a little less than the diameter of the flanged portion of the eyelet. The brushes 'or stirring devices are arranged to travel in the space between the said ridge and the floor of the hopper, it being obvious, therefore, that if an eyelet traveling on its side moves endwise toward the openings the flange thereof will be caught by said ridge before the shank portion can enter one of said openings, so that substantially the whole eyelet lies in the path of the stirring device and is at once swept aside thereby.

one end or the other, and if the flange end is up it will be arrested by engagement 'with the projections with the body of the eyelet in '-structed. Since the openings can 'thus be made larger, while allpossibility of clogging is obviated, the chute which leads to the setting mechanism of the machine can be filled with three or four movements of the agitating devices and will be kept filled during the operation of the machine even when running at a much higher speed than has before been practicable in machines of this kind.

Figure l is a top plan view of a feeding device embodying the invention; Fig. 2, a side elevation of .the same; Figs. 3 and 4, transverse sections of the wall of the hopper where the openings are formed and showing eyelets which are'wrongly presented to said openings, and Figs. 5 and 0 similar views illustrating the ordinary form of eyelet-feeding device with eyelets caughtso as to clog the openings.

The hopper a is shown as mounted on a frame-piece Z), in which is formed the eyeletchute 11*, which leads to the setting devices of an eyeleting-machinc of any suitable construction or arrangement. The said chute has undercut projections I) to overlie the flanged portion of the eyelet, the shank portion of which travels between the said projections in the usual way, and the said chute at its upper end lies adjacent to the side wall of the hopper, so as to receive the eyelets therefrom. To permit the eyelets to escape from the hopper into the said chute, the said hopper has an opening a in its wall adjacent to the floor of the hopper and communicating'with the supporting part of the chute which is on a level with said floor, and to prevent the eyelets from passing out of the hopper if they are inverted or wrong end up the said hopper is also provided with fingers (i projecting downward from the top of the opening a, the distance between which fingers is somewhat less than the diameter of the flanged end of an eyelet, so that if, as indicated at 0, Figs. 2 and i, an eyelet is inverted the flange will be caught by the said projections and the eyeletarrested in the path of the stirring or agitating devices (I, which are herein shown as brushes projecting radially toward the wall of the hopper and adapted to move back and forth, so as to sweep away any eyelets which are not free to pass through the openings. The said stirring devices (Z may be arranged in any suitable or usual way, but are herein shown as bristles The eyelet therefore can onlyreach the openings when it is traveling on- .to the setting devices.

rocating the eyelet-chute are "not herein the frame which carries the hopper and provided with a crank d secured, as by a rod (1", to a fixed portion of the frame of the machine, the chute and hopper being adapted to reciprocate in the usual way to present the eyelets The means for recipshown, since they form no part of the present invention, and it is to be understood that the stirring devices may be arranged to operate in any suitable or usual way.

In order to prevent any eyelet which is presented otherwise than on end f rom getting into and clogging one of the openings, the hopper is provided along its inner wall with a ridge or shoulder 0. the lower surface of which, as shown in Fig. 3, is separated from the bottom of the hopper bya distance slightly less than the diameter of the flanged end of the eyelet, but greater than the length of the eyelet, so that any eyelet which is traveling on end can pass under the same -to the opening. on its side, with its shank end foremost, as indicated in Fig. 3, the flange will'be caught by the ridge a", as shown, thus leaving the body of the eyelet in the path of the brushes d, so that it will be at once swept away. Vithout the ridgeafl as indicated in Fig. 5, the shank of the eyelet is freeze pass through the opening until the flange is fiush with the inner wall of the hopper, where it cannot readily be disengaged by the brushes, so that tie opening remains clogged. 7 Furthermore, it the eyelet is presented lying on its side and If, however, any eyelet is traveling flanged end toward the wall it'is obvious that the said flange will be caught by the projection and the eyelet kept wholly away from said wall, with no possibility of riding under one of the points and catching on the same, as indicated in Fig. 6.

It may be desirable in some cases to utilize the same hopper for eyelets which differ somewhat in length or in the proportional dimensions of the length and diameter of the flange, I

and this may be accomplished by making the ridge a vertically adjustable. As herein shown, the said ridge is connected with a shield or guard 01, which projects over the upper portion of the chute b to prevent the eyelets from jumping out of the same, and

.the opening, which must be greater than the length of the eyelet and less than the diameter of the flange, and the opening between the points may be out high enough to admit of the necessary adjustment.

By the construction hereinbefore described much larger openings can be afforded for the eyelets than were practicable heretofore, so

that the eyelets will pass freely out of the chute, it being nevertheless impossible for any eyelet to pass out unless properly positioned-11 6., resting on its flanged end,and also impossible for any eyelet to get caught in an opening or between two openings without being in the path of the brushes, so as to be swept away thereby. 1

It is further practicable to make the brushes much more flexible, and thereby less likely to scratch the enamel on the eyelets or jam the eyelets out of shape, it having heretofore been the object to make the brushes stiff enough to catch, if possible, the flange of an eyelet stuck in an opening, as shown in Fig. 5, in

the hope of eventually dislodging the same.

The projection a, furthermore, has a tend eney to aid in righting the eyelets which are presented endwise thereto and shank end forward, as shown in Fig. 3, it being obvious that the brush in sweeping by will tend to force the eyelets radially with relation to itself, while the projection acting on the upper portion of the flange will causethe same to tip flange end down, so as to pass out the next time it moves toward the opening.

I cla m 1. Aneyelet-feeding device comprising a hopper; provided with lateral openings, the width of said openings at the upper partbeing less than the diameter of the flange of an eyelet, and said upper part being separatedfrom the floor of the hopper a distance less than the length of an eyelet whereby an eyelet standing flange end up on the said floor will be prevented from passing through an opening; and means for substantially preventing the body of an eyelet which is lying on its side from entering said opening, substantially as described.

. In an eyelet-feeding device, the combination with the hopper provided with an opening in. a wall thereof adjacent to the door, of fingers projecting downward from the top of said opening, the ends of said fingers being separated by a space from the floor of the hopper, and the distance between said fingers being less than the diameter of the flanged end of an eyelet, and a ridge projecting inward from the wall of the hopper above the bottom' or floor thereof, the distance between the lower surface of said ridge and the said floor of the hopper being greater than the length of an eyelet and less than the diameter of the flanged end thereof, and the width or thickness of said ridge being substantially equal to the length of the eyelet, substantially as described.

3. An eyelet-feeding device comprising a hopper provided with lateralopenings for the eyelets, a ridge above said openings projecting inward from the inner wall of the hopper to afford a space between the under surface. of said ridge and the wall where the openings are formed, and an eyelet-agitating device adapted to travel along the said wall between the under surface of said ridge and the floor of the hopper, substantially as described.

. 4:. An eyelet-feeding device comprising a hopper provided with lateral openings for the eyelets, a ridge over the said openings projecting inward from the inner wall of the hopper to afford a space between the under surface of said ridge and the said iloor, and means for vertically adjusting the said ridge to vary the width of such space, substantially as and for the purpose described.

-In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. PERLEY R. GLASS.

Witnesses: I

II. J. LIVERMORE, NANCY 1. FORD. 

